Originally Posted by MistyMarie

I have to admit that for awhile I had a really hard time giving away my kids old toys and clothes because I felt like I was losing their childhood and that I would be hurting those who gave me the toys and clothes in the first place if I got rid of them. This was true for anything in my house that others gave me. I didn't want to hurt their feelings if they knew I eventually got rid of something they had given me. (I was hurt as a child when I gave a neighbor lady a jewelry pouch gift I had purchased with hard-earned money and I found it under her little girl's bed being used as a dolly purse only a few days later. It ruined my relationship with her and made me vow I would NEVER do that if someone gave me a gift.) Anyway, when we moved, it cost us over a thousand dollars more to move our things here because we had too much stuff. That was the turning point. I had to give myself permission to get rid of things. I have been slowly downsizing ever since. I still have too much kid stuff, but I have been giving away my kids clothes (to friends who need them for their children) and tell them that they can donate what they don't want (so they don't feel obligated to keep anything like I did). I believe hording can be, in part, a fear that throwing out something will cause one to lose the memory attached to that item (as in a stuffed animal or old loan paperwork.)